


Sweetest Little Thing

by armadillosunset



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But not too sad, Cute, Fluff, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mpreg Harry, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sad and Happy, Sad and Sweet, What is it with me and video call scenes, Where We Are Tour, but really any tour works, idk - Freeform, mostly cute and happy, what the world needs now is fluff sweet fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-23 14:50:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23279842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/armadillosunset/pseuds/armadillosunset
Summary: “I uh, I haven’t said anything, Haz. To them.” Louis nodded to the boys beside him.“Oh,” Harry gulped. He had assumed Louis had gushed about the baby since she had been born, showing off the few pictures Harry had sent since.Okay, the few dozen he had sent in the last two days.“Well, um, I was wondering if you guys wanted to meet someone?”—Harry takes a moment show off his new little squish to the boys.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 170





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The world is shit right now, for everyone. And you know what we all need to make it better?
> 
> The mental image of Harry Styles holding a baby. 
> 
> 100% known cure for everything, guaranteed. 
> 
> Any age or variation of Harry Styles you want—laboratory studies show they’re all equally effective. I personally imagine early Where We Are/frat boy/starting to grow his hair out Harry for this story, but use whichever era you like the best.
> 
> Now, if you had asked me even a month ago if I would have anything to do with the mpreg genre (other than it being my secret guilty reading pleasure tyvm) I would have thought you were absolutely nuts. Because never, ever, in a million years would I ever write anything remotely mpreg. Never. Mm-mm nope.
> 
> Oh, how shit changes... (we were in love, now we’re strangers)  
> (Couldn’t resist)  
> (You’re welcome for the ear worm~)
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> P.S.: don’t judge me on the title, I honestly could not think of anything

With a wince, Harry sat himself down on his bed. The dull ache in his front was interspersed with sharp throbbing jabs as he shimmied himself up to the headboard to have something to lean against and give his core a much needed break—the previous round of painkillers were starting to wear off and the round he had just swallowed hadn’t yet kicked in. Now settled, he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as his muscles relaxed and he was rewarded with no further stabbing pain.

“So much better,” he sighed with relief just as his phone chirped from the nightstand. “Oh come on, really?”

Harry groaned as the device chirped again. There was a small disapproving whine from the crook of his arm as Harry leaned over to reach the phone with his free hand, that sharp pain returning as he used his muscles to sit back up. “I know, sweetie, I know. That lot has perfect timing, don’t they?” He nuzzled a kiss into the soft fuzz of hair on the newborn’s head as she let out a soft grunt of, what Harry took as, approval. 

Unlocking the phone with his thumb he found a string of missed messages from the band’s group chat—he hadn’t really had time to look at his phone since around lunchtime—and two directly from Louis.

_How are you? How’s the little lady? Haven’t heard from you since last night. Everything okay?_

_Love you so much miss you loads_

Harry smiled as he read the messages over, it must finally be morning wherever the boys were, and he was about to type back that everything was fine, but paused as the baby wriggled in his arm, soft whimpers grabbing his attention. The little one quieted after a bit of shifting around and soothing kisses. “It’s okay, honey,” he cooed with a final kiss to her little hand. She gazed upwards, her bright blue eyes meeting his; they were the same beautiful crystal blue that reminded Harry of another set of eyes he had fallen head over heels in love with.

An idea came to him. “Well, seeing as you’re wide awake, I know a few people who are dying to see you.” He picked up his phone again to text Louis back.

_Okay. Still sore. Kinda tired. If you guys aren’t busy we could do a video call? Show her off a bit. She’s wide awake right now._

It only took a few seconds for Louis to respond.

_God yes. Gimme a sec I’ll round everyone up. We’ll call you, yeah?_

Setting his phone down, he pulled the laptop over from the other side of the bed and set it up. He smiled as he pictured Louis stomping around the hotel room, plucking the other boys out of various rooms and dropping them on the couch one by one. Harry knew it wouldn’t take any convincing to get everyone together—they had all been waiting not-so-patiently for the little one’s arrival since Harry had left them a little over two weeks ago, and they knew Tuesday had been the predetermined D-Day if she didn’t show up on her own accord.

Tuesday was two days ago. And Harry had blatantly ignored all messages but those from Louis, opting to spend the last two days with his new daughter and recovering from the surgery required to bring her into the world. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to them—he knew how much everyone was looking forward to her—he was just slightly bitter about the whole ordeal, and simply wanted to wallow while snuggling his precious baby.

Mainly, he never imagined having his child electively born on a specific day in order to continue to fulfill a contract. He had fought tooth and nail for the date they did finally settle on—management had wanted something closer to two weeks ago. He could still hear that man’s voice in his head, one of the execs who sat Harry down halfway through to explain how things would be ‘handled’. “Thirty-eight is technically full term. Thirty-seven and a couple days is close enough, Harry. Then you’ll be back in time for some interviews we have set to promote the tour.”

She was still technically early, but only a few days, and Harry could live with that better than the original plan. What he had to give up in order to keep her inside, and growing, longer didn’t matter. Harry would give up anything for this little girl. Even proper recovery time.

The ding of the laptop pulled Harry out of his thoughts. Pushing the memories aside, he pulled the device up onto his legs and adjusted the screen a bit before accepting the call. The black screen instantly changed to four young men scrunched together on a couch, staring intently into the camera. There was a slight lag as the call connected and it was a few seconds before they erupted into cheers of his name. They all tried to speak at the same time.

“Harry! So good to see you mate!” Zayn beamed, standing behind the others as they sat.

“Harry! How are you? Everything good?” Liam’s eyes sparkled, grinning as he squished in next to Niall.

“Harry! Where is she?! Is she here?! Did you have her?!” Niall looked as if he was ready to fall off the couch, unable to contain his excitement.

“Hello, love.” Louis finished off with a smile after the others as he perched on the couch’s arm, on Niall’s other side, leaning into the frame.

“Hey, guys,” Harry smiled into the laptop’s camera. He’d missed this lot. It was nice and all to be back home in his own bed, with his mum and sister around, but he missed his friends. He missed Louis.

Harry was also bitter that management had stepped in and purposely kept Louis away, keeping him over in the states doing promotions and interviews the whole two weeks Harry had been shipped back home, to, quote, ‘take care of some things’. They knew how important this all was to Louis, not just Harry, but they refused to loosen their grip on the young man and Harry was forced to endure things on his own, thousands of miles away.

“WELL?!” Niall shouted, visibly agitated.

“Missed you all. How goes the pop star life without me?” Harry teased.

“Harryyy...” Niall moaned.

“Uh, it’s been good I guess,” Liam answered. “Weird doing things without you though. Everywhere we go people ask about you. We try to avoid it though.”

“Niall, will you stop it?” Louis snapped at the blonde boy as he impatiently flopped himself around. “I uh, I haven’t said anything, Haz. To them.” Louis nodded to the boys beside him.

“Oh,” Harry gulped. He had assumed Louis had gushed about the baby since she had been born, showing off the few pictures Harry had sent since.

Okay, the _few dozen_ he had sent in the last two days.

“Well, um, I was wondering if you guys wanted to meet someone?” With his free hand Harry tilted the laptop screen, and thus the camera, down. “Say ‘hi’ to your uncles, sweetheart.” He shifted the baby in his arms to give the boys a better view of her little face and her little purple onesie with tiny rainbows and unicorns on it that was a tad too big on her. She gave a disapproving grunt to not be curled up in the cozy crook of daddy’s arm any more, but remained calm, giving the world a confused little pout as Harry gently waved her small chubby arm. 

The reaction from the boys made Harry beam with pride. There were gasps and awes and words of praise as they all tried to lean in closer for a better view. But who Harry was really watching, and who really made his heart swell, was Louis. The young man was the quietest of the bunch, but the look from his face—a look of awe, of adoration, a look of pure and utter love—made Harry’s heart melt all over again.

“What’s her name, Harry?” Zayn asked, still grinning.

“Huh, what?” Harry shook his head, distracted by Louis yet again.

“Yeah. What’s this beautiful girl’s name?” Liam asked, his face matching Zayn’s. Niall was strangely silent as he continued to gape in awe.

Harry noticed as Louis shifted a bit where he sat. “Um. It’s Juniper. Juni.”

“That’s beautiful, Harry,” Zayn nodded. “Hi Juni!” He gave a little wave.

“Full name.” Louis coughed. The other boys glanced at him, Harry included.

“You sure, Lou?” Harry questioned him as he tucked the little girl back into his arm, where she pressed her little face into his shirt, closed her eyes, and promptly dozed off.

“Yeah, yeah. Defo. ‘M proud of it.” He beamed.

“Well, her full name is Juniper Chelsea...” he paused, “Tomlinson.”

This time it wasn’t a simple glance. It was three heads with matching questioning looks simultaneously whipping around to face Louis, who perched on his sofa arm with a smug grin and crinkled eyes. Harry tried to laugh, but rather winced as his stitches stabbed at him once more.

“You good, Haz?” Liam turned back to the camera.

“Yeah, just my incision. Laughing hurts. Gotta take it easy for a bit.”

“How um...,” Zayn cautiously asked the question Harry knew most of them had been wondering but Harry had been avoiding. “How long before they make you come back?”

“‘Bout two weeks,” Harry muttered.

And there’s the third thing Harry had been bitter about. He really shouldn’t have been bitter, his time off after his daughter’s birth was the trade off he had made for her well being, and Harry kept telling himself that was what mattered. But he definitely was not looking forward to going back to the traveling pop star life and pretending everything was normal, and nothing hurt, two short weeks after a rather major surgery, as planned as it was.

Especially because he needed to leave the country to meet up with the rest of the boys, and it took up to six weeks to get a passport—even expedited didn’t guarantee anything sooner than three weeks. Unless there was a miracle, he would have to leave his little girl behind until her passport came in and she could join him wherever they were traveling. 

That broke his heart, the mere thought of leaving her behind so soon. She would be in good hands with his mum and Gemma the entire time, but that didn’t help the ache in his heart. With that in mind, he was savoring every moment, every cuddle he got—he wouldn’t put her down unless he absolutely had to. He didn’t even mind last night when she woke him up every hour, crying, because it meant he could hold her just a little bit longer.

“What? No! They can’t do that to you!” Liam squawked. “You need time for recovery! For bonding!”

“I know, but that’s what it is. Nothing I can really do.” Harry sighed.

“I don’t like it any more than you do, Liam, but there’s nothing we can do. Believe me, I’ve tried.” Louis huffed, echoing Harry’s words. Louis had been even more adamant than Harry during their meeting, to the point Paul had to drag him out before he became physical with one of the management executives. “Contracts are contracts, commitments are commitments.”

“Once she gets her passport, everything will be better.” Harry sighed as he gently brushed a thumb across his daughter’s soft cheek. “Then she’ll be with me—us, on the road, on tour and the like.”

“And you can all start spoiling her rotten,” Louis grinned.

“We’ll need to do some shopping then.” Zayn and Liam shared a glance.

After being eerily quiet for so long, Niall finally spoke during the pause in conversation.

“Do I start with the ‘Tomlinson’, which on the one hand I’m not surprised but on the other hand I’m What the Actual Fuck Lou, you never said anything,” Niall pointed at Louis before turning to Harry, still pointing, “or do I start with the fact you named your daughter AFTER YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES?”

“Start with Louis,” Harry was trying his hardest not to laugh and cause himself any more pain. “I’ve sent him tons of pictures and he’s been holding out on you guys.”

“Harry!” Louis squeaked right as Niall lunged.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I know nothing about airports or waiting areas in airports. Bear with me on this one.

_“Harry, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”_

_He could feel his sister’s thin hand rubbing circles on his back as they stood in the private drop off area of the airport. Reluctantly, he looked up, the tears in his eyes blurring Gemma’s features. “No—no it’s not, Gems. It’s not okay.”_

_“Yes, it is,” Gemma firmly insisted. “I’ll take good care of her, you know I will. Mum too. She raised both of us and lord knows you were a handful.”_

_“Pretty sure I was the angel and you were the holy terror,” Harry managed a weak smile before craning his neck to nuzzle the little girl he held tight to his chest._

_He had known for months that this day was coming, but the knowing did nothing to ease the pain that was ripping him to shreds. He tried to commit every little bit of his girl to memory—her little noises, the way she fit perfectly nestled in his arms or on his chest, her soft skin and the way she smelled of new baby and sweet innocence. The past two weeks had flown by faster than he expected. It seemed as though one second his mum was driving him home from the hospital, the next second Gemma was driving him to the airport._

_“You’re going to miss your flight.” Gemma tried to reach around the large slender hands that supported the infant, but Harry turned away, still not ready to let go. “Harry,” she warned_. 

“ _Is that such a bad thing, missing the flight?” He genuinely asked, gently swaying side to side though there was no fussing to necessitate it. The little girl was awake in his arms, her tiny hand clawing at the collar of his t-shirt—or trying to, at least; she was still too young to have good control over any of her limbs, really. Harry thought the whole lack of motor control was the cutest thing._

_His daughter was the absolute cutest thing._

_“Yes, given those bastards you practically signed your life away to.” Gemma paused before she let out a sigh. “Sorry, Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re just making it harder on yourself the longer you linger. The sooner you go, the sooner she’ll be coming back to you, okay?”_

_A tear rolled down Harry’s cheek. “Yeah—yeah, I guess you’re right,” he sniffled. “I’m gonna miss you, Junebug. Daddy’s gonna miss you so much. Be a good girl for Auntie Gemma and Nanna, yeah? I’ll—I’ll see you soon. I love you so much—so very, very much, Honey.”_

_The tears were freely flowing now as Harry gave his daughter one last kiss before reluctantly placing her in his sister’s waiting arms. He wished the little girl was asleep so she wouldn’t watch him walk away—so he didn’t know she was watching him walk away._

_“She is a strong and independent woman, Harry. She’ll be fine.” Gemma turned the babe so her brother could see the little one’s face. “You, however, are already a blubbering mess. I best text Lou so he knows exactly what’s coming for him when you land.”_

“Harry! God, Harry, give it a rest, will ya!” 

Harry jerked back to reality as Louis slammed his hand down on Harry’s nervously bouncing leg.

“I know you’re anxious—I am too—but Jesus, that tapping is driving me nuts.”

“Sorry,” Harry muttered as he began to chew on his knuckle. 

It took all his willpower not to tap his heel as he stared ahead at the arrival gate for international travelers. He had been a nervous wreck the entire night, tossing and turning so much that at one point Louis threatened to push him out of the bunk they were sharing on the bus. When morning came, he hadn’t gotten much sleep, and he was so antsy he barely touched breakfast. Harry knew he looked like a mess right now as he sat on a bench at the airport. He didn’t need a mirror to tell him there were bags under his eyes and his hair was a mass of unkempt curls, and he honestly couldn’t remember if he had put on deodorant or brushed his teeth this morning—and was this his shirt or Louis’ shirt or heck maybe it was Liam’s he had no clue—but he didn’t care, there were other priorities this morning.

After what had been the quickest two weeks of Harry’s life, the last nine days had been the absolute longest. The first few days had been a blur of tears and pain, though he took a bit of pride in the fact that he somehow managed to pull himself together long enough to make it through the interview that had required him to come back so soon. There was a complete breakdown on the car ride back to the hotel, and Zayn and Liam had to carry him back up to the hotel room, but he had made it through the interview. Each day that followed hurt less than the day before, helped immensely by the undivided attention Louis had been giving him every second they were out of the public eye.

That was until two days ago, when his mum rang him with the news of the arrival of a long awaited passport. Since then Harry had been in a downward spiral of nerves and emotions as he counted down the hours until the private plane he had booked—money was no object, especially for this—landed.

“How do you think she’s handling the flight?” Harry loudly blurted out, causing Louis to jump in his seat, nearly dropping his phone.

“I don’t know—.”

“I should... I should be there with her. That’s a grueling flight for anyone, but for a first flight...”

“Stop beating yourself—.”

Harry continued to cut the other off, not even paying attention to his answers. “They should have landed by now. Where are they? Did the flight get delayed? Do you think the flight was delayed? Maybe we should check if it got cancelled or rerouted or—.”

“Harry, you seriously need to calm the fuck down.” Louis grabbed Harry by his shoulders. “Now breathe. You’re not going to do anyone any good if you work yourself up and have a mental break down in the middle of the airport. Media would have a field day with that one.”

“Yeah, they would wouldn’t they.” Harry chuckled on an exhale. “We’re already in enough trouble sitting here, last thing we need is a double pap story.”

They were both going to get a stern word from management later, Harry knew. While it had been okay-ed for him to accompany Harry for the car ride to the airport, Louis had been explicitly told to stay in the vehicle. But when Harry had grown impatient and jumped out of the car to run inside while they waited in the queue to get closer to the doors, Louis was instantly beside him, matching each of Harry’s long strides with two of his own. Though they were sitting in a quieter area now, they had sprinted through the majority of a very public, and very busy, airport to get here and there was no way pictures of them hadn’t made it online yet.

“Eh, I’ll deal with them, don’t worry. I’ve been waiting almost a month to meet my little girl. Those blokes were stupid if they honestly thought I’d wait patiently in a car while you came in here.” Louis grinned a crinkled smile that showed off his single dimple, one of Harry’s favorite smiles.

“If you really think about it, it’s all Paul’s fault. He’s known us long enough and should have put the child locks on the doors.”

“We are a couple’a kids ain’t—oi!”

Harry barely registered Louis’ indignant cry as he suddenly pushed Louis away and began to sprint away from the bench. Something had caught his eye, and with each step he took he was surer and surer of what he saw, and a smile spread across his face. His feet couldn’t carry him fast enough—he was clearly out of shape, still winded from his short sprint earlier when he formerly been able to do miles—but finally, he reached what he had seen.

“Hi, Gemma, how are you, how was the flight, give me that, thank you!” Harry rambled off as he walked up and snatched the carrier out of his unsuspecting sister’s hand and set it on the ground, kneeling in front of it.

“What the hell—oh, it’s you. God, Harry, give me a heart attack why don’t you! Thought some weirdo was trying to snatch your baby.”

Harry ignored his sister in favor of snapping the cover of the carrier back. “There you are,” he cooed as he unlatched the straps and picked up his daughter’s smiling, wiggling form for the first time in what felt like ages. He pulled her up to his chest, giving her a kiss, as he sat back, clutching her to him. “Missed you. Missed you so much. Look at you, you’re so big!” She was almost a whole different person, Harry noticed. She no longer curled up into a little ball, her noises were louder and more confident, and her little kicks were stronger and had more intent.

“Can you not sit on the nasty floor? Really, Harry.” He felt his sister’s foot gently kick at his side. “You’re a grown man! Get up!”

“Jesus, Harry, don’t just run off like that!” The beautiful voice found Harry’s ears, breathless. “Gemma. Lovely as always.”

“You hear that?” Harry whispered, giving another cuddle. “You know who that is, sweetheart?”

“Always a kiss up, Lou. Don’t stop though.”

Harry scrambled up, keeping the baby nestled against him, her tiny hand having found the gold chain around his neck. He found Louis standing next to Gemma, a smirk on his face, his sass finding its match. The smirk faded as his eyes fell on Harry—more specifically, on what he was holding.

“Look, Juni. It’s your papa.” Harry told his little girl, his eyes never leaving Louis’. “He’s been waiting so long to meet you, Yeah.” 

“She’s So beautiful. Pictures don’t do you any justice, love.” Louis gently rubbed the infant’s back as he gazed at her.

“Want Papa to hold you?” Harry bounced a bit, looking down into her beautiful baby blues. He tried to shift the little girl over. “Need to let go of Daddy first, though,” he coughed as he pried the chain out of the tiny death grip placed on it. “I’m sorry for leaving you and all but there’s no need to strangle me over it.”

Harry had always been convinced that Louis was the most beautiful human being on the planet. Sure there were other attractive people out there, but nothing could ever compare to his Louis with his sparkling eyes, his infectious laughter, and the way he loved everyone so fiercely. Nothing. Except, apparently, Louis holding a baby.

It came as a surprise to Harry that his muscles hadn’t given way on him at that beautiful sight, that he hadn’t melted into a puddle as he watched Louis hold the infant, talking to his daughter. He thought he would die from cuteness as he watched Juni scrunch her face, unsure of the feel of Louis’ stubble as he kissed her cheek. But what really killed him, what was the final nail in Harry’s coffin, was the tiny smile that beamed from their daughter’s face after a few moments—a smile that seemed to say ‘fine, you won me over’.

“I hate to kill the moment, but you three are starting to amass a bit of a crowd.” Gemma nodded off to the side where a few people had gathered, trying to be discreet about looking at them and failing.

“Rightfully so. This one’s a cutie.” Louis swooped his head down for another kiss to his daughter’s cheek before looking up at Harry. “You as well, but your kiss will have to wait for later.”

Harry blushed as he scooped up the carrier. “Didn’t help we had to wait out here because it took you forever to get off a private plane.”

“Mmm, Yeah. Not putting this one down,” Louis smirked as he began to walk off, Harry and Gemma quickly following behind.

“Sorry, but we had to run to the toilets for a quick outfit change after landing because somebody literally shit herself with excitement. And, spoiler, it wasn’t me.”

Harry rolled his eyes as he leaned over to meet his little girl’s gaze across Louis’ chest. “I hope you threw up on her while you had the chance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo this is apparently taking on a life of it’s own? Gonna be a few more chapters(3-4) than I originally thought (2) becAUSE LIFE NEEDS THIS KINDA CUTE RIGHT NOW MMKAY?
> 
> Mmkay~


	3. Chapter 3

Harry Styles craved death.

He didn’t want to die, per se. No, no, he very much wanted to be alive and he had so much in his life worth living for, he knew that. There were just some, well, perks of being dead that seemed very appealing right now. 

_To sleep the sleep of the dead. That sounds nice._ Harry thought to himself with a yawn as he sat outside leaning against their tour bus early that morning, the sun finally peeking over the horizon. _Sleep. Uninterrupted sleep._

He winced as he shifted his weight, the uneven bits of gravel digging into his bum, the thin fabric of his shorts providing no protection from the sharp little rocks . He should have brought a blanket to sit on, should have learned his lesson from last time. And the time before that.

“You okay? Warm enough?” Harry asked the small mass of blankets he cradled in his arms. It wasn’t particularly cold out, not for him—he was out here in shorts and a t-shirt after all, but the little girl certainly took after father and despised even the slightest draft of cool air. Harry peeled back one of the layers to find the baby blissfully asleep with tiny even breaths that matched the bob of the pacifier in her mouth. “Oh thank god,” he sighed with relief as he turned his head up to the fading night sky.

He could go back inside the bus, set the baby down in her pack’n’play, and crawl back into the bed Louis had kept warm, but Harry knew if he moved too soon she would wake right up and he would be back in the position that led him out of the bus in the first place. As much as he loved his daughter—and he loved her, with all his heart and then some, nothing would change that—she was right shit at sleeping. 

More often than not, she spent the night wailing her little lungs out whenever she got put down to sleep, instead preferring to sleep on someone rather than where she was supposed to be. It was manageable when they were staying in hotel rooms, where it was just Louis and Harry switching shifts while everyone else slept with at least one wall muffling the sound of crying baby. But as large as the tour bus was, it wasn’t large enough to keep everyone from hearing an unhappy baby in the middle of the night.

The others were understanding about it, and Harry appreciated that.

  
“ _Hey!” Liam pouted as Niall plucked the crying infant from Liam’s grasp as the boy continued to fail at calming the poor thing._

_“Alright then, you are comin with Uncle Niall young lady.” Niall cooed as he gave a little bounce, though it had no effect._

_“That was the most awkward thing I’ve ever seen,” Zayn commented at Liam’s attempt at soothing the little girl as he ripped the pink blanket from Liam’s lap and handed it to Niall, “and I’ve seen those two try to talk their way out of some questionable situations.” He gave a nod to the half asleep parents slouched together at the table._

_“Hey,” Harry weakly protested from where his head rested against Louis’ shoulder._

_“Like you were any better,” Liam huffed, making Zayn smirk._

_“I have younger sisters, I know when I’m out of my league when it comes to taking care of kids. Seriously, Li, I feel sorry for your future children.”_

_“And Niall’s going to be any better? He’s the youngest too!” Liam glared at the one now holding the fussy baby,_

_“Don’t worry,” Niall smirked, “we Horans have an age old trick to getting our babes to quiet down an sleep. Worked on me, my brother, my father, and countless generations of proud Irish heritage. Ought to work just as well on a Brit, in such times of need as this.”_

_Louis lazily flopped his head to the side, and watched Niall snatch the pacifier off the table and stride to the cabinets of the bus’s tiny kitchenette. “Don’t you dare dip my daughter’s pacifier in any of the alcohol you little shit.”_

_Niall rolled his eyes and plopped the little girl back into Louis’ lap, back where she originally started. “Fine. I got nothin then.”_

They all tried to help, they really did. And again, Harry appreciated having such wonderful friends.

But between all the yawns and cat naps, the under eye bags and the bouts of irritability, Harry knew it was starting to take a toll on all of them. And the majority of them hadn’t exactly signed up for this—hell, he hadn’t signed up for this, but this was his responsibility, not any of theirs. He felt bad that, ultimately, it was his fault everyone was so tired and miserable—it was his kid causing this after all. 

So Harry tried his best every night to swoop in at the slightest whimper, before the whole band woke up from the screeching. He would sacrifice his nights to let his daughter settle in and sleep on his chest, in order for everyone else to continue sleeping. 

As long as everyone else got their sleep, it was fine. Harry could manage, he always did. He was known for falling asleep in the most random places, for taking little naps here and there, so when he did it now—when the exhaustion became just a bit too much—no one thought twice, just Harry being Harry. And one tired boy band member roused a lot less suspicion than five tired boy band members.

Sometimes, it took a bit longer to soothe her back down, especially after a feed or a change in the middle of the night. Which is how Harry found himself outside, on more than one occasion. He had tried holing the two of them up in the bus’s bathroom with the door closed, which only worked until someone else needed to use the facilities. With no other place to go, Harry had gone outside in a bout of sleep deprived desperation.

Strangely enough, it worked. The season was warm enough now he could just grab his girl a blanket, wrap her up, and step outside. They usually parked in a secluded area, so the crying didn’t bother anyone. And Harry could join in and cry a bit too, if he wanted, if things were just a little bit too tough right then, and no one would be the wiser. Eventually his daughter would fall asleep, having her wish granted of sleeping on him, and he usually had time to sneak back in and catch a quick nap before everyone started waking up for the day.

That ‘usually’ was an ‘always’ until this morning.

As tired as Harry was, he still appreciated how beautiful it was that morning, the sun finally up over the horizon, casting everything in that warm early morning glow. He didn’t know how long he had been out there, enjoying the scenery, but evidently it was too long as noises from the bus door caught Harry’s attention. He glanced over as a familiar blonde head popped out, followed by his pajama-clad body.

The boy frantically looked around, until his eyes met Harry’s and a smile broke through. He turned back to the bus, shouting as he climbed back in. “Found ‘em, Lou!”

That was another perk of death, Harry realized. People left you alone.

The mass in Harry’s arms began to shift as tiny whimpers reached Harry’s ears. “No... no no no. Fuck, Niall,” Harry groaned, patting the infant’s back, trying to lull her back to sleep. Tears began to prick his eyes as the child refused to settle in his arms, though she hadn’t reached full-blown crying yet, just unhappy whines.

“Harry? Harry!” There were quick crunches of gravel under shoes before Louis appeared in front of Harry. He had woken up in a hurry, Harry guessed, the boy’s soft brown hair sticking up in various places and there were creases indented along his cheek from the pillow. The beautiful blue eyes Harry loved still had a glaze to them as Louis’ voice was raspy with the remnants of sleep. “I woke up and you and the babe were gone. Gave me a right scare, you did. Everything okay?” A petite hand cupped Harry’s cheek as Louis knelt down beside him, but quickly opted to sit as the gravel continued to crunch.

Harry considered his answer for a moment. He could say everything was fine, like he had been, so Louis wouldn’t worry. He looked like he was finally catching up on his sleep, finally looking rested and awake. On the other hand, Harry felt like shit. He was bone-tired, he was frustrated beyond belief, and everything ached—even his eyelids hurt for fuck’s sake. He felt like he was failing at everything in that moment, so when the baby in his arms decided in that moment to let out a loud shriek, Harry broke down and slumped over against Louis’ shoulder.

“She won’t sleep.” Harry was matching his daughter whine for whine right now, but he didn’t care. “She won’t sleep but then she did sleep but then Niall woke her up and now she’s not sleeping again. I just want her to sleep, Lou, sleep. Just a little bit.”

“Oh love,” Louis whispered, kissing the top of Harry’s head as he cried. They were both crying, him and the baby, but Harry was pretty sure he was winning in the crying department right now. “It’s just a bad night. It’ll get better, I promise.”

A bad night? Harry began to sob. “Not a bad night, Lou. Every night. I’ve been up with her so you guys don’t wake up and lose sleep. Every fucking night.”

Harry felt Louis stiffen beneath him before thin arms wrapped around him, pulling him close, their daughter gently caught between them. Soft hands rubbed at his back as Louis nuzzled his face into Harry’s—disgusting, probably, he couldn’t remember when he last washed it—hair. “Why’re you doing this to yourself, love? You don’t have to suffer like—.”

“Because none of you signed up for this! None of you asked to be stuffed into a tiny bus with a loud baby and lose sleep.” Harry sniffed, his voice muffled into Louis’ neck. “She’s my responsibility. And I’m failing.”

“Our responsibility, Haz. I’m equally as responsible for this little lady being here. And you aren’t failing. You’re doing a damn good job, as far as I can tell—especially so for trying to do it all yourself. If anything, I’m the one who’s failing because I didn’t notice anything was wrong and I assumed her sleep just suddenly got better, that everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t.” Harry felt a soft kiss to the side of his head. “You’re tired and worn out. But you’re a damn good parent.”

Louis was right. He was tired. So very, very tired. Harry wanted to argue on the ‘good parent’ topic though—because he wasn’t, he was pretty shit on that too, barely managing feeds and clean clothes and diapers some days—but he was too tired for that argument right now. At some point, Louis carefully pulled their daughter from Harry’s arms, holding her in his own as she quieted once more while Harry curled himself into Louis’ side.

“You don’t need to do this on your own, Harry.”

Harry blinked his eyes, finding a mug outstretched to him. His followed the arm and found Zayn smiling as he leaned over, a mug in his other hand. Harry inhaled—glorious coffee—and accepted the steaming mug.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say we love her too.” Zayn continued to smile as he sat down on Harry’s other side with a sip from his own mug. “She doesn’t bother us. Ever.”

“How much did you hear?” Harry meekly asked, the drink scorching his tongue. It was one thing to break down and cry in front of Louis. It was a whole other thing for everyone else to know.

“Most of it. Niall left the door open.” Liam added, nodding behind him as hopped out of the bus with a mug for Louis and himself. Niall followed shortly behind with mutters of ‘Sorry’ as he carried his own mug and a box of pastries. “But Z’s right. You shouldn’t be taking it all on yourself. At the very least, you have Louis. But at the end of the day you have all of us. It takes a village, yeah?”

“A village of mostly idiots, but yeah.” Harry glanced up as Louis smirked at his own comment.

The conversation quieted down as they sat, leaned against the bus. Harry figured they must look like quite the sight to someone passing by—five young men peacefully sitting out on the ground, still in their sleep clothes, watching the world wake up as they munched on danishes and donuts and sipped their morning drinks.

It probably would make a great album cover, come to think of it.

God, Harry really was sleep deprived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might do a 4th chapter, I might make a sequel? So don’t be surprised if this pops up one day with another chapter.
> 
> Something else grabbed my attention and I can’t ignore it anymore~


End file.
